Rice and Tea
by MizukoMidori
Summary: He'd always heard she was a horrible cook. But maybe he could at least talk to her. Slight IshiHime. Spoilers for up to ch186 and beyond regarding Ishida if you haven't read them. Nothing drastically huge.


**Rice and Tea**

By Rachel

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It had been a long stressful week for Ishida. His father had run him ragged trying to get him to regain his powers. He still didn't understand exactly how it was supposed to work. Ryuuken refused to explain the mechanics behind it. Finally he was given a break. Told to go home and rest, there was no point in continuing if he were going to pass out from exhaustion or not move fast enough to avoid an attack because he was tired.

So it was that he was heading back to his apartment. He'd take a shower, make a quick dinner, and get some sleep. He'd been given three days to relax and regain his strength. Three days, Ishida felt was longer than necessary. Did his father really think him so weak as to need more than a day to recuperate? He would take the three days however. Go by the school and catch up on the work he had missed, complete that dress he'd been working on.

An idea of visiting the others flickered through his mind, but he quickly pushed it away. If he was to get his powers back he could no longer associate with them outside of what contact he had with them in school. It was more difficult than he thought it would be. He'd gotten close to them all, even Kurosaki, during their time in Soul Society. There are certain bonds formed in life or death circumstances that are thicker than…than Inoue's skull. But without his powers he was useless to them anyway and would only drag them down. So in order to be of any help at all he must limit his contact with them. A you-must-hurt-to-help situation.

It had been easy so far, as he hadn't been to school nor out of Ryuuken's spiritual set-up, and hadn't had the chance of confrontation with any of them. The only time it became even a remote difficulty was when the Arrancar (Ryuuken had explained the nature of the strong reisatsu disturbance) had shown up. All Ishida had known was that there had been numerous powerful reisatsu and that those powers had clashed with that of his former comrades. Having paid more attention to the battles going on outside, he had received an arrow in the shoulder. After that his focus had returned to the matter at hand.

Ishida sighed, glancing up at the street sign of the corner he was at. There was something familiar about it, but he couldn't think of what it was. He needn't think much longer, however, as the answer was provided for him in the form of a loud voice.

"ISHIDA-KUN! HI! HOLD ON A SECOND."

He'd frozen at the familiar call. There was a flash of orange and Orihime was gone from the window of her apartment. He knew that she was probably running down the stairs to come meet him. He was, of course, right as a few seconds later the ever bouncy girl came running up to him. She stopped and bent catching her breath for a moment then looked up giving him one of her perkiest smiles.

"Inoue-san, good afternoon. If you'll excuse me." He started to turn but she moved in front of him again.

"Ishida-kun, It's so nice to see you! You've been gone from school, no one's sure where you are. The teacher said you were taking a leave of absence due to family reasons. Kurosaki-kun wondered 'what family'. You've missed so much though. There are these new bad guys and their SUPER strong! Oh! And Renji-kun and a bunch of guys from Soul Society showed up. Oh! And Kuchiki-san is back! I thought you'd be especially glad to know that."

He blinked unsure of how to take all this in. Some of it he knew because Ryuuken had explained some things. Like the appearance of the Arrancar, and he himself had sensed the presence of the Shinigami from Soul Society. And what did she mean that he'd be especially glad to know that Rukia was back? After a moment he adjusted his glasses.

"I really need to be on my way Inoue-san."

"So soon…?" Ishida hated the look of pure disappointment on her face. It made him feel like a horrible person.

"Er… I haven't eaten in a while, and I need to get some rest. I've…been going through a lot recently."

"Oh! That's right! You've been gone for a while. So you must have a whole lot to tell us too!" Her smile was back, but he felt his stomach sink.

"Actually—"

"I KNOW! You said you were hungry. So how 'bout I make you some dinner, and you can come relax at my place for a bit. It's right here! That way you won't have to walk all the way to your place. Then when you're feeling all relaxed you can go home and get even more relaxed!"

For a moment his intentions of just walking away were forgotten at the mention of her offer. He'd heard tales of Orihime's cooking, although horror stories were more like it. It was said that one boy was sick for almost an entire month from a batch of Valentine's chocolate she had made back in middle school. Even Tatsuki, usually came down with food poisoning after eating her orange haired friend's food, and she was used to it. The last thing Ishida, a rather master chef himself, wanted was for the girl in front of him to make him dinner.

Before he could protest, though, she had already led him halfway up the stairs to her apartment and it would be horribly rude to walk away now. Instead he led out a resigned sigh and followed her inside. Her apartment wasn't quite the mess he expected it to be. There were dishes piled up in the sink, but otherwise everything seemed to have a place and was in it. The walls were fairly bare despite the occasional pictures of her and what he assumed was her brother. He'd expected posters of cute animals all over the place for some reason.

"Make yourself comfortable Ishida-kun! I'll get us some tea and start some rice. Then we can talk. Kay?"

"Uh…Yeah." He didn't know why it was so difficult to say no to her. She was just so insistent, without being insistent.

Setting his bag down by the door, he slipped off his shoes, and sat down at the small table she had set up. The place wasn't very big, just two rooms. Her bedroll was rolled up and placed in the corner, the blanket next to it. A few moments later a cup of green tea was placed in front of him and he looked up into her happy yet inquisitive Grey eyes. Quickly he averted his gaze back to the tea.

Talking to her could bring him trouble. He should have been avoiding her. He promised his father he would avoid the Shinigami and their friends. This included Inoue. Then again, he thought, when did promises to that man mean anything? He didn't make the promise for Ryuuken's sake, he made the promise to gain his powers back. Once he did, he would be done with that man who was only his father by blood.

"The rice is cooking, so we have some time to talk before it's ready." She smiled brightly at him. "So Ishida-kun, what have you been up to? Oh! Did you go on some wild adventure? Tromping through the thick, hot jungle facing off against wild tigers? I didn't know you were a Safari man." She blinked, one arm held in the air at a ninety degree angle, hand tightened into a fist, the other one holding on to it just above her elbow in a show of strength as her imagination got the better of her.

"Um…I'm not." He readjusted his glasses.

Dropping her hands back to her cup she grasped it, looking down into the liquid as if there was some depth to it he had missed. Her features softened a little and the next time she met his eyes they were full of curiosity and understanding. "Well then, if not a Safari, then what? Don't tell me you just sat at home the whole time sewing a whole new clothing line."

It was an Orihime joke, but he could tell that she didn't really think it. It made him wonder how much of her stupidity was an act, and how much of it was real. It was a thought he had a few times before when getting to know her. She wasn't what she seemed, and he wondered why she hid herself away behind such a vapidly happy façade.

"It's as I told the school. Family issues."

"Oh. ……I thought you were the last of your family."

He took a long drink of the tea and sighed. Looking at the wall behind her he said, "My father is still alive. He was never very fond of the Quincy to begin with and I'm not even sure why he married my mother. He left when I was still young before I started my Quincy training. Recently he's shown back up. Has taken an interest in my life I suppose." Ishida smiled bitterly at the idea of it. He had no idea what Ryuuken wanted, he doubted however that it was to take an interest in his life. "He says that he knows a way to get my Quincy powers back."

Orihime leaned across the table excitedly. "Really? That's wonderful! I'm so happy for you!"

He didn't dare meet her ecstatic gaze. Yes, it was wonderful, he supposed. He would be getting his abilities back, and they would be stronger. But was it really worth the price? Before Ichigo gained his powers and Ishida got involved with the lot of them he'd never had to worry about things like friends before. But now, he was closer than he would have liked to this group of people and the thought of no longer having them to talk to, or even hang out with hurt more than it should have.

"Yes, I suppose it is."

She blinked, "You don't think so?"

"Having my powers back would be great yes. It's just the process of getting them back."

"It's difficult?"

"To say the least. I'm also not very fond of my father, and he of I. I also don't understand his motives behind doing this. I suppose I'm glad for the opportunity, but— Never mind. I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. It's still unsettling."

"Perhaps he feels bad for having left you so long ago and wants to find a way to make it up to you?" Orihime suggested innocently.

"Perhaps, I doubt it though. If you met him you'd understand." He'd said it carelessly. He was mostly speaking carelessly, but it was Inoue. He didn't know why, but he could not, not talk to her. And he was comfortable with telling her. Besides Ryuuken would never know right? He was just having dinner with her on one of his nights away from the older Quincy.

Dinner….

"Inoue-san, the rice…." His face contorted at the thought of what the white grains would look like.

"Oh! That's right! Oh no!"

Quickly she hurried into her little kitchen area. He could see the steam pouring into the room as she pulled the lid off of the pot. There was a disappointed cry followed by a stream of coughing. After a moment of working up the courage Ishida followed her into the kitchen. She was flailing a hand about trying to wave out the smoke and trying to dump the pot of rice into the sink. It all came out in one giant darkened clump. Ishida's eye twitched at the sight of it. How did someone screw-up something so simple as rice? It seemed that all the rumors he had heard were true. Orihime turned on the water so it poured over the burnt pile of would-be-food.

"Uwaaaa! I'm soooooo sorry!" She gave the sink a pouting look and Ishida smiled a little. He couldn't be mad at her. Astounded maybe, but not mad.

"Don't worry about it Inoue-san."

"But I wanted to make Ishida-kun dinner…" She looked as if she was about to cry.

He put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Perhaps I'll come by some other time, and I'll cook something for the both of us. That way we know it'll be edible."

She brightened immediately, "Really? Yay! Ishida-kun said he'd cook for me! I'm holding you to that so don't you forget it!"

"I won't." He let his hand drop from her shoulder and looked awkwardly at the floor. "Well I should be on my way. Thank you for inviting me in."

"So soon?" She looked as if she wanted to argue, but realized that since the rice was ruined there was no reason for him to stay. "Will you be at school this week?"

"Doubtful. My father is still training me."

"Right!" She set her face in a determined look, "You must get your Quincy powers back. And that way you can help us with these Aaron Cars."

"Yeah."

Ishida left feeling in much better spirits than when he arrived. He realized that he didn't need to let his father run his life. Yes he needed his powers back, but what Ryuuken didn't know wouldn't hurt him, right? Besides, he obviously had a reason for letting his son gain his powers back, he wouldn't take that away just because Ishida talked to certain people would he? Ryuuken needed Uryuu for something, and there was no one else the capability to learn Quincy skills. So Ishida was his only option. That meant that Ishida was the one in control, and he didn't have to follow any of Ryuuken's rules.

When he got home he made himself rice. This rice was practically perfect, steaming white and not solidly clumped together. It made him smile thinking of Orihime's attempt at making him feel better. He would gain his powers back. Not because Ryuuken wanted it, and not even for Quincy pride. But to protect those close to him.

**The End**

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_Author's Note: This actually turned out much differently from the idea it started out as. It was supposed to be just a short humorous story about Orihime's bad cooking inspired by a fanart that I saw. And it turned into this. o.O Anyway any comments and opinions would be appreciated. This is my first Bleach fanfiction.__I hope it was good._


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